The Domino Effect (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

The year 1990 was a great year for the Potter household. James and Lily Potter welcomed the arrival of three bundles of joy. Their children are Harry James, Godric Charlus, and Iris Dorea. But their happiness did not last very long. Even though the magical world remains nothing more but fiction to the muggle or non-magical world, it has taken considerable effort to prevent any information about it from leaking, especially with the wizarding world currently plunging into chaos with the wizarding war dominating in Europe being led by one of the most powerful dark wizards in the century, Lord Voldemort.

Just when the wizards and witches feel like there is no end in sight, a prophecy was revealed from the mouths of one of the greatest seers. A child is said to be born who will end the dark reign of Lord Voldemort. The death eaters (the group who follow the dark lord is called) heard that this child is said to be born from parents who have defied the dark lord three times and is said to be born at the end of July. Specifics that fit the current position the Potter family is in.

James and Lily Potter have fought and evaded Voldemort three times and their sons were born on the last day of July (their daughter was born after the stroke of midnight, making her birthday the first of August). The prophecy was supposed to be a secret. It was not meant to reach the ears of Lord Voldemort, but it did nonetheless. Because of this, the Potters along with the Longbottoms (another family who fits the prophecy) were recommended by Dumbledore to go into hiding.

For more than one year, the Potters and the Longbottoms remained hidden from the public. Being public figures, they were not easy to miss. While they remain away from the public eye, they did their duties as lords and ladies of Wizengamot such as approving laws, donating to charities, and so on. If they are not present, they let their proxies manage their seats which in this case is Albus Dumbledore. They kept their presence a secret to not reveal to their enemies, their location and their safety.

To keep their location hidden, the Potters used a Fidelius Charm. It is a complicated spell that requires the secret to be hidden within a person's soul, also known as the secret keeper, so even if people who wish them ill are breathing down on their living room window, they will never see or find the Potters. That is, as long as the secret keeper does not reveal where they are.

The Potter siblings are over one-year-old now and possess various personalities that keep the parents occupied from their isolation. Harry James is the eldest of the three and he, along with Godric Charlus inherited their father's black, bird's nest hair and their mother's emerald eyes. Harry was the calmer child, serious, and quiet while Godric was more boisterous, active, and mischievous. Iris Dorea was the youngest and the only girl but she has red hair with black streaks and her eyes possess two colors, one green, and the other hazel. She is also very curious and ever since she learned how to crawl and walk, James and Lily have to keep getting her out of difficult situations and locations around the house.

Living by themselves was not easy. The regular correspondents that they had with their friends and family were often not enough contact to keep the adults from feeling caged in a single space. But on Halloween, the Potter family was invited to attend the Halloween Ball at the Ministry of Magic. Despite the war, the ministry tried its best to create a sense of normalcy among its employees and the public. James Potter, who is known to be a social butterfly is tired of being cooped up in the small cottage at Godric's Hollow. They moved out of the Potter manor because the location is public knowledge to ensure the children's protection. While taking care of his children was a joyous occasion for the father, James is restless. He has not seen his best friends for months and has not seen or even touched another human being aside from his wife and children. Even if he does go out, who will he hang out to? Mooney was off-limits because Dumbledore and the rest of the Order believed he was a spy (even though he does not believe it) and Sirius was abroad somewhere in northern Europe handling a case from both the Order and the Auror's department. Peter, well, was being Peter, living alone and taking care of his ailing mother. He may be his best friend but the man was not a fun person to hang out with.

"It's just one night, Lily. I'm sure we can handle it for one night." James said when he begged his wife to go to the Halloween Ball with him. "Even if he does find us, he still could not attack easily in a heavily guarded building such as the Ministry."

But Lily does not want to leave her children. They could not bring them to the ball. It was too risky. But she also knows how restless her husband can be. If bored, he could blow up their house and she does not want that to happen, especially with their children inside. She could stay home, but she knew deep down that she was also getting cooped up as well and is needing a change of scenery. The cottage was protected by wards and the secret keeper helps keep their location away from the dark side. Blowing off some steam tonight should be fine. They have been here for almost a year, and nothing has happened. Albus will also be attending the party so there is some safety at the ball.

But Sirius and Remus are out of reach, only Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a. Wormtail and their secret keeper is the only person available who could babysit the children. Lily has wondered if she could contact Severus for babysitting but she hasn't spoken to nor seen him in years (despite being his former best friend). The man is even the fourth godfather to their children and he doesn't even know it. Besides, the man will officially become the children's godparent if Sirius, Remus, and Peter were to die or are sent to prison (in the middle of a war, the likelihood of dying is very high). So Lily approved of Peter watching the children for the night. Little did they know that this decision will change their lives forever.

*****

Voldemort glared at the small cottage. The night was misty and a few muggles were running about dressed in horrid costumes to celebrate the wonderful eve of Samhain, the night on which power and magic are at their peak. It will be tonight that he will kill the so-called savior Dumbledore was very protective of and show the old meddling fool never to underestimate his power.

Waltzing in the cottage was too easy. The Potters never knew that Peter Pettigrew, their secret keeper, was the traitor in their midst. They were too busy suspecting the werewolf. The Potters were idiots thinking that this little cottage would protect them. There wasn't enough power in their wards. They would have been safe in Potter's manor. Even if the location is public knowledge, manors of old families still have strong magic in them that has been passed down through generations. Even those that have been abandoned for years still hold the strong impenetrable magic that would take years to break in even with his caliber of magic.

What Voldemort did not expect was the blood wards surrounding the nursery. Dark magic in the home of a light family? How odd and hypocritical. Dumbledore and his stance on light magic and his followers (or possibly the man himself) are delving into dark magic. Voldemort was sure the old man has experimented with dark magic. No one is that too imbued with justice and power to not even try to know what it is. But the blood wards were done by the work of someone inexperienced, possibly the Potters themselves? Ironic. It is still a strong one though.

When he looked in the crib, he was confronted by three faces staring curiously at him. One of them even started crying, how annoying! Nevertheless, all three are going to die.

Avada Kedavra!

BOOM! The second floor of the cottage exploded. Debris flew everywhere. Screams can be heard. And even Peter Pettigrew was sent flying out of the wall. Cries of babies can be heard and the wailing and screams from the Death Eaters echoed in the night as they felt their tattoos disappearing on their arms.

*****

Dumbledore peeks at the three Potter siblings. Poppy, also known as Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts school nurse has already checked the children. She was able to heal the bruises and cuts. It was a miracle they even survive after what happened. She suggested the children get assistance from St. Mungo's but Dumbledore deemed it too dangerous at the moment with all the confusion going on about Voldemort, especially with some of the most reckless Death Eaters now invading people's homes and attacking and torturing people about the whereabouts of their lord. Most of them however were silent. Probably in hiding. They are a cunning and cautious bunch after all but if given the opportunity they will take it. It was a shame they weren't able to save the Longbottoms on time. The Lestranges found them (after torturing and breaking their secret keeper into submission) and tortured the couple right in front of their one-year-old son.

Also, the explosion at Godric's Hallow caused a problem for both the Muggles and the magical communities. Even though the place is home to a lot of wizards and witches, an explosion like that can still get attention from the muggles. The explosion triggered his wards and he and the Potters arrived at a collapsed house with flames and debris everywhere. The Ministry was able to detect the explosion immediately and was able to respond to the issue as soon as possible by confounding the muggles into believing that a gas stove has exploded.

Dumbledore almost even made an order to the ministry and the Order to track down Sirius Black for his betrayal. Luckily, James stopped him this time to inform him that it was Peter Pettigrew, not Sirius Black who is their secret keeper. The one person in the Order no one ever suspected to be the threat or the spy. He wished the Potters did not keep this a secret. If James and Lily would have died tonight, Sirius Black would have been sent to prison – an innocent man and the poster child of the Order who came from a dark family and shifted to the light, and the children would have to wind up in the care of Peter Pettigrew.

When he arrived at his office, he receives a missive from Severus. It was confirmed that all the death eaters lost their mark. However, their marks can still be felt, confirming Dumbledore's suspicions that Voldemort must have found a way to prolong his life even after the loss of his body. The prophecy was correct. The dark lord will rise again and one of the Potter children will face him in the future. The question is, which one?

He glanced back at the three siblings. Poppy was not able to do anything with some of their scars. They were cursed scars as she said. Godric has a large "L" shaped scar on his right cheek, Harry has a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, and the only daughter, Iris, has a large gash on her left eye. All three scars have signs of dark magic and because the nursery was embedded in dark residue, Dumbledore couldn't tell which child did the deed. So, he brought them to his office to see if he can sense which sibling is the chosen one, but even then no amount of assessment and scanning helped.

However, Dumbledore noticed that the aura was stronger on Godric's scar, much stronger almost pinging with magic. The old man assumed that the boy bears the brunt of Voldemort's spell and his siblings got the residual parts. Dumbledore was even surprised by how powerful the boy's magical aura was for a one-year-old and noticed how weak his siblings were, especially the girl who seems to be considered almost a squib in a level of magic (but that needs some verification). But it is still hard to tell, as magical cores are often unstable during this age. Considering that the boy is the last among the two who was born at the end of July, he is the one who fits the prophecy perfectly.

Dumbledore glanced one last time at the Potter siblings. As the savior and future protector of the magical world, Godric will need all the attention and training he can get to prepare himself for the upcoming war against Voldemort. He wondered what he was going to do with the other siblings. He will need to convince the Potter parents to find a way to focus all their care and training on their savior. When he left, he didn't notice that one of the scars from the sleeping siblings glowed.

******

Meanwhile somewhere in the distant land.

In a room full of ancient texts, a roaring fireplace, and portraits, one of the portraits spoke up to the man sitting behind one of the high chairs near the fireplace. "It's time."

"It's time. It's time." the other portraits echoed.

The man placed the teacup on the saucer, stood up, and opened the door towards the balcony. The sky is clear today and the moon is full. He glanced at the crystal ball that he placed in the middle of the balcony. It is currently vibrating and glowing. He glanced at the patterns of lines also glowing around the city he is residing in. It is invisible to the people but he can see it. The leylines are charged and powered. His ancestors are right. It is time.

Behind him, a large old map hangs on the walls. There is a mark placed on Great Britain.